Wed Jul 27, 2005 2:39 am
A nine-year-old tribal girl in eastern India has married a stray dog as part of a ritual to ward off an "evil spell" on her, Indian newspapers have reported.
An Indian villager poses with his dog and Karnamoni Ha
The girl promised to "take care of the dog"
The girl, Karnamoni Handsa, had to be married quickly because she had a tooth rooted to her upper gum, which is considered a bad omen by her Santhal tribe in the remote village of Khanyhan, about 60 kilometres (37 miles) from Calcutta.
"Members of the village jury asked us to get her married to a dog or to face the bad omen," the girl's father was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
The tribe elders said the marriage would not affect the girl's life, and that she would be free to marry again later and did not need to divorce the dog.
"It will not spoil her future. We will marry her off to eligible bachelor when she grows up," the girl's mother told AFP.
'No regret'
The wedding - which took place on 11 June - was attended by more than 100 guests, who danced to the beating of drums and drank home-made liquor.
"I have no regret in marrying the dog Bacchan. I am fond of the dog who moves around our locality," the girl told the AFP.
"Bacchan is a stray dog who survives on left-overs. I will take care of the dog," she added.
Indian newspapers reported that local police officials had ordered an inquiry into the incident.
The Santhals - most of whom are sharecroppers - are a large tribe living in the states of West Bengal and neighbouring Bihar and Jharkhand.
Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:06 am
Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:24 am
Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:30 am
Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:32 am
I wonder if the girl will have to worry about abuse I don't think the dog will be able to slap her when things get out of hand.
Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:33 am
Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:39 am
her and the dog prolly have the same life expectancy.
Wed Jul 27, 2005 4:19 am
Riot wrote:Cool thing about her living in India, her and the dog prolly have the same life expectancy.
Wed Jul 27, 2005 6:13 am
cyanide wrote:It's not so bad, I mean, marriage of a 9 year old girl and a stray dog only means that she's going to take care of the dog, nothing more than that, right?